"I don't get it!" Harry roared at her. "I tell you everything in my life, I trusted you Hermione. You were one of my closest friends. How could you not tell me about all this? How could you just go off with Malfoy and expect us to be okay?"
"I didn't expect anything! I just expected you to be a friend before all of this! Before the lies, before talking to Draco, before summer! I loved you both, Harry. I loved you and Ron with everything. And when Ron broke me you did too. You two wouldn't even talk to me the rest of the summer, so I ignored you, what did you expect for it to blow over? Things aren't always going to be your way, Harry! And I don't think you fully understand that!"
"You know what? Fine. Maybe we don't need you."
"Well, I sure as hell don't need you!"
Hermione turned on her heel and left the common room, without another glance at Harry. She forced the tears she felt weld up behind her brown orbs to stay concealed. Harry had no idea how much he meant to her, he had no idea what her thought process was a minute before he came and turned her thoughts into a blur. She couldn't even feel remorse in her immense irritation for him at this moment. It was simply implausible that he would really think that just because he told her that he didn't approve she would drop the one thing that made sense to her. He had to be fooling himself.
As Hermione strode Gryffindor Tower, she headed to the Grand Staircase, she was going to find Draco. She needed him now. If he could make her feel better then she knew Harry would be wrong and that's just about all she wanted to prove right now.
As she walked down the long staircase, she felt that horrible guilt again. Damn it what was wrong with her? She needed to get herself together, Draco Malfoy doesn't want anything from her more than he wants to be friends with Harry. Hermione felt the tears again, she hoped that this wasn't true, it couldn't be. If Harry was right she would have this lingering over their friendship forever. She could see it all clearly play out in her mind.
"Hey Hermione, remember when you had that thing for Malfoy and I told you he was using you and it turned out you were a big plot in the death eaters plan to get to me, and then shortly after that he was killed? Yeah, good times. Boy were you stupid, you should have listened to me sooner."
Hermione chuckled at her own thought. Harry wasn't that conceited... yet. Plus, that had to have been one of the longest run on sentences in her life. It was something that Ron would say, rather than Harry. Hermione wouldn't have said that was her more accurate predictions of the future, and tried to think of something else. Finding Draco; that would be a start.
As she quickly ran down the stairs of the Entrance Hall she turned and made her way down the dungeon path. Hermione started to slow down, thinking how stupid she was to have done this. She had no way of getting inside the Slytherin common room. No sane Slytherin would let her in. She didn't know the password, though now she was definitely going to ask Draco for future reference. And what was the chance that he was wandering around the dungeons, anyway? She thought about this for a moment, in fact it was quite likely. He didn't seem like a sleeper, definitely a wanderer. Now where would he go in the middle of the night? She sighed and figured she'd walk around until her genius kicked in on something she would be willing to go back up the stairs for.
She slowly crept by Snape's office and heard soft murmurs. She stopped for a moment to listen in. She couldn't hear much, but it didn't sound too pretty. She heard footsteps walk toward the door. Hermione widened her eyes and hurried as fast as she could down the hallway and stood next to a statue.
The door opened and she leaned back, only listening to the voices.
"Don't walk out in that ungrateful manner."
"Look, professor, I appreciate everything, really... I just really don't feel like discussing this anymore... I'll see you tomorrow, all right?"
Hermione leaned forward, she wasn't positive it was Draco's voice but it wouldn't hurt to check. She heard the door to Snape's office close and saw Draco's shadowy frame lean against the wall, rubbing his eyes. Hermione's expression darkened, what was going on?
She took a few steps forward and started walking in his direction, her shoes clicked gently across the cold dungeon floor. She saw him whip his head up and glare at the darkness, he couldn't see her. She quickened her pace and stood in a light.
"Hermione?" he asked, quietly.
"Hi..." she replied, softly.
Draco stared at her for what was a brief moment, which felt like an eternity for Hermione and went to embrace her. Hermione was taken aback but returned the hug and clung to his warm body. She wrapped her arms around his back and closed her eyes, for whatever reason that was uncertain she felt disconnected. She cared for Draco Malfoy so much, but at this moment in time she could see clearly now, it wasn't love at all. But that didn't mean it was out of the question. She still felt secure in his arms and this was where she wanted to be for now, at least. She slowly pulled from the hug and stared into his gray eyes. In all honesty she came to rant about Harry to him and he realized that it wasn't all about her. This experience was as new to Draco as it was to her and she wanted to know what he was feeling.
"What are you thinking about?" Hermione asked in a concerned loving tone. She reached up and started to play with a few loose strands of his platinum blond hair as she waited patiently for a response.
"I honestly don't know, Hermione... Nothing feels right anymore. I use to be able to talk to Snape about things but I don't think I can anymore."
"Well, why don't you try talking to me?"
"You don't want to hear what I have to say, trust me."
"Yes, I do," Hermione insisted, "contrary to popular belief I don't have all the answers, but I can listen. That's all you've done for me Draco, in the past month you were there for me. Something that I appreciate more than anything at this moment and I want to be able to help you. I know you want to be helped, you just don't have the right people in your life to offer it..."
"That's all I've done? Listening is all I've done?"
"No, but it's one of the most important things..."
"Right. So what you're saying I'm a cold hearted bastard and you think you can change me?"
"Not at all," she said shaking her head. "You were a cold hearted bastard and I have changed you."
"You're joking." he said raising his eyebrows.
She giggled. "For once, yes."
"Thank God," he muttered, "you honestly scared me there for a minute..." he said grinning softly at her.
"I thought I'd lighten it up a bit... but seriously, Draco," she put her hand on his cheek and stroked it gently. "If we're going to be in a relationship we're going to have to help each other. You've helped me so much, I just want to be there for you, that's all."
Draco made an expression that was hard for Hermione to decode. It seemed as if he was trying to smile, but had trouble doing so. He then leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. She returned the kiss and slowly pulled away.
"I mean it, Draco, anythi--"
"Shhh, you're ruining the moment." He pressed his lips on hers once more and placed his hands on her waist as he pulled her into him. His warm embrace engulfed Hermione, erased her thoughts completely. She no longer felt that guilt, no longer felt the need to worry about Harry or Ron or anything, really. All she wanted was this moment to last forever.
-:-
The night came and went and Hermione Granger had about five hours of sleep. She grumbled to herself as she got herself dressed and ready for today. Her hour with Draco made everything a lot more clear for Hermione. They got to connect on a level she wasn't sure existed with that boy. And now that she could officially claim that he was her boyfriend, she couldn't help but grin as she grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.
She walked through the common room pretty fast, not wanting to make any small talk conversations with anyone. At least that was until she saw Harry and Ginny snogging on the couch. Twenty different emotions seemed to burst from Hermione's mind. Anger. Revolt. Confusion. Devastation. Overwhelmed. Troubled. Sickened. The list went on.
But she was pretty sure anger was the main thing she felt. She bit her lip and stomped her way out of the common room. Didn't he say that he tells her everything? When the hell did he and Ginny start dating. Sure, it wasn't that unexpected, but HE NEVER TOLD HER. Oh she was so furious. Nothing could explain the hatred she felt for Harry James Potter at this moment.
"Good morning beautiful," she heard from the distance. She looked up to see Draco who actually took the effort to walk all the way up to Gryffindor Tower to walk her to Charms class.
"Maybe for you it is," she snapped, pulling her bag off her shoulder and thrusting it into his arms.
"Ow..." he mumbled. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Harry Potter. I want to murder him! Voldemort taking recruits?"
Draco's eyebrows narrowed. "That's not funny," he said in the most serious tone Hermione had ever heard from the boy in her life. "What happened?"
"He think he has the damn nerve to tell me how run my life! That I have to do what he says to make him happy because life dealt him the wrong cards. I don't think so. Dumbledore isn't here anymore to hold his hand and he's crying a river!"
"Whoa!" said Draco, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her to face him. "What the hell happened?"
"We had a fight last night, before I saw you. I was going to talk to you about it, but you were just so... off last night. I didn't want to bother you with all of that."
"I appreciate it and if you were going to react like this last night, I probably wouldn't have met you this morning."
"Shut up, it's my turn to talk." she said, as she continued to walk. "So anyway, we got into an argument about if I had changed and I told him that life isn't all about what he wants and he needs to learn how to appreciate the help he's gotten. And then he has the nerve to say that he trusts me with everything and the fact that I don't trust him hurts him or whatever! The point is I saw him snogging Ginny Weasley on the couch and he never told me about that! Yet when I snogged you the whole entire wizarding world came crashing down and Voldemort suddenly reigned and it was raining gnomes! Damn it, I just wish that selfish bastard would see his own hypocrisy!"
Draco stared at Hermione wide eyed. "I have nothing to say, Granger." he said, shaking his head. "well... maybe... PMS?"
"Shut up!" she snapped.
"Look, I can't help you! I told you things wouldn't be getting any better. But what do you expect me to do about it? I'm only one person and that rant was just all I needed to wake up for the day."
"What happened to what I said last night? We need to help each other in order to have a relationship? Did that just go through one ear and out the next?"
"I don't know, but I sure as hell can't help you on this one."
"Great. You're deserting me too?"
"No! Look Hermione, you're amazing. The fact that you have put up with Potter's bullshit made me wonder how insane you truly were. And now that you're not willing to take all of it anymore, makes me respect you so much more than before. You're intelligence has really shown through. I just wish you didn't whine so much, that's all..."
"Thanks, I think you've hidden a few compliments in there..."
"I didn't hide them, you're amazing, you're intelligent, and I respect you."
"Marry me?" she grinned.
Draco stopped walking and turned white.
"Joking! Sorry, guess that didn't help lighten the mood."
"Never is marriage funny."
"Why?"
"At this point in our relationship, we can't joke about those things. We'll end up like my parents."
"Ew..."
"What?"
"Sorry, thought out loud."
Draco glared at her and shook her head. "You know, you're lucky I like you. Or I'd have left long ago."
"No, you're the lucky one. Trust me..." she said, rolling her eyes.
"I know," he said grinning faintly.
Hermione turned and smiled for the first time today. "Thanks, Draco."
"For what, now?"
"Making me smile. It's something I need to do more often."
"I concur!" he said nodding as they walked into the Charms classroom. Draco set her books down and smiled at her. "Well, I'll see you in Transfiguration, I guess."
"Okay, see you." she said, pulling him in for a hug, shortly after she gave him a peck on the lips.
Draco grinned. "We'll have to have more of that later," he said, winking at her.
Hermione giggled and waved as he left the classroom, she sat down and sighed dreamily. Maybe today was going to be a good day, after all. She looked up and saw Harry and Ron walk in. Hermione looked back down, she had to control herself, she refused to explode in front of a Professor. Hermione guessed she would lose her patience with him at lunch.
"So, you in a better mood today?" asked Harry sitting in front of her.
"Are you seriously talking to me?" Hermione asked, giving him an implausible glare.
"I think that would be a 'no'..." said Ron taking his seat next to Harry.
"Hermione, look I didn't mean for us to blow up like that, but--"
"Harry, for the sake of your life I'd suggest you stop talking to me," said Hermione in a deadly tone. She was so serious right now, she could explode. Perhaps it was time for her to lose it, in front of everyone to see that Hermione wasn't the crazy one here, Harry Potter has done some wrongs in this situation as well.
"No, I value our friendship I'm not going to stop talking until we settle this."
"Settle nothing!" exclaimed Hermione. "You claim that you trust me. You claim that you telling me everything!"
"I do, Hermione..."
"It's a lie!" she spat, rising from her seat. "If you really did trust me, Harry. You wouldn't scold me like a child telling me what to do with my life. You wouldn't care about my decisions concerning my love life because I don't care about yours. But I do care when you say that I'm the only one who hasn't been honest!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Harry staring blankly at her.
"When in the hell did you start dating Ginny again?"
"What?"
"I saw you both snogging each others brains out in the common room!"
"Harry!" yelped Ron. "You didn't tell me this either!"
"See! I told you! You screw us both over! You don't tell us anything!"
"Technically, we're not really together..."
"Oh save the lies, Harry! I'm sick of it. You don't care about anyone but yourself."
"Now that's a lie and you know it."
"I don't care. You are a hypocrite, Harry! How dare you have the audacity to say all of that to me? I'm done. I can't talk to you right now. Maybe when you learn how to support my decisions the way Ron and I have been doing for you for the past five years. Then maybe I'll consider you one of my best friends."
Harry stared at her blankly for what seemed like forever until Professor Flitwick stepped into the room, the class was silent as they gazed at the trio. Ron grabbed his things and sat toward the back and Hermione stopped entertaining his gaze and went down to grab her books. She felt a single tear trickle down her cheek and ignored it as she tried to listen to Flitwick's lesson. She said what needed to be said, she was satisfied for now.
Yay!!! Got chapter 12 out. I got inspired and started writing. I hope it's good. Give me feedback so I can start getting on the 13th chapter. Thanks so much for supporting the fic and waited patiently for updates, seriously much appreciated!
